A demand shall not be accepted for filing unless a note of issue is filed in the action. A written request for a jury trial is filed with the clerk of the court a reasonable time before the date set for trial of the cause on the non-jury docket.You must ask for a jury trial no later than 14 days before the hearing date, or convince the judge that you had a good reason for not doing so. A written demand for a jury must be filed no later than 14 days before the date a case is set for trial. Jury service is a civic duty. There are two types of juries serving different functions in the federal trial courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses. You can request a jury trial at any time in your case, but no later than 30 days before the date your case is set for the final trial. Speak up, and state your case. The judge will start with stating the case, and give an estimate as to how long the trial will be.